Where ambition leads

Friends,

We see them everyday. We work with some. We marvel at their accomplishments and at the energy they devote to achieving their goals. They throw everything they have into everything they do. Why? Because they are driven to be at the top.

We don't often consider the price that the world's top performers, athletes, and politicians have paid to get to and stay where they are. We hear stories of how they devoted hours every afternoon to perfecting that jump shot, but we don't equate that to a lost childhood. We see politicians working hard, day and night, to get elected; but we don't connect that with the strains on their family or with the lost relationships that once meant so much. And then, when they have seemingly reached that pinnacle, they find that every mistake is magnified and every stumble is put on display for all the world to see and mock.

And whoever of you desires to be first shall be slave of all.
Mark 10:44, NKJV

This is - admittedly - taken out of context. But bear with me a moment, for we would be wise to consider the true consequences of our ambitions. Our obsession with the accumulation of stuff - aided and abetted by the horrendous "Prosperity" them voiced by too many preachers - only leads to our enslavement. We no longer own our stuff ... it owns us. The same is true for positions of power and prestige.

To lay them aside is to experience true freedom. And by unburdening ourselves of these entrapments, we can fully enter in to a place of great intimacy in Christ Jesus.

Be encouraged, Jose

Leaving it behind

Friends,

Over the past several years, people have been forced to reconsider the emphasis they place on material comforts and possessions. They see friends and countrymen survive the loss of jobs and homes. They may have lied awake at night, contemplating how they would deal with such circumstances, should they arise.

It is at times such as those that a man is forced to come to terms with his dependence on the stuff he has accumulated. Has he formed a bond with those things? Has he placed his trust on his job, his title, his accomplishments, his prestige, or his credentials? Has he become so reliant upon them that he might be unwilling to give them up should the Lord call upon him to do so?

Then Jesus looked around and said to His disciples, “How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God!”
Mark 10:23, NKJV

The word riches can be interpreted to mean many things. Of course, we recognize that it means wealth and possessions. But it can also mean the gifts that the Lord has lent us for this time on earth.

Would you give up a ministry if God called you to lay it down? Will you leave the church band to focus on your preaching, even though you are a fine musician? Will you forgo the mission fields of a far-off land so that He can speak through you at a local shelter? Will you stop leading a Bible study, even if you don't have any idea why He commands it?

These, too, are riches, dear brothers and sisters. And we must be willing to lay them down ... along with everything else ... to walk the narrow way that leads to deeper intimacy with Christ.

Be encouraged, Jose

Give it back

Friends,

Are you tempted to keep what is inadvertently given to you ... like a bit too much change, or a mistaken discount, or a place in line? Scrupulous honesty can be difficult to exercise in this cut-throat world. But it is what our LORD expects.

Do not remove the ancient landmark,
Nor enter the fields of the fatherless;
For their Redeemer is mighty;
He will plead their cause against you.
Proverbs 23:10-11 [NKJV]

Do not make someone else poorer so that you can enjoy ill-gotten gains. It is a path that leads to God's wrath. Enjoy what is honestly earned and provided by the LORD.

Be encouraged, Jose

Never lacking

Friends,

Each one of us has experienced these economically hard times in unique ways. Some have lost a little, others have lost much. And, unfortunately, some have decided to use God's word to promise material wealth as if it were an entitlement. They will use a verse like this one ...

Psalm 37:25 [NKJV]
I have been young, and now am old;
Yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken,
Nor his descendants begging bread.

Indeed, the word of God is true and can be depended upon. You will never hear me say otherwise. And yet, does this verse promise you or me a new car? a new wardrobe? or a new anything?

The LORD promises that we, His beloved children, will have what we need. He will never leave us nor forsake us. He will always make Himself available to us ... holding nothing back. This, dear brothers and sisters, is true prosperity. We have been granted heavenly riches that can neither be stolen nor destroyed. Stop focusing on that which you cannot keep. Start focusing on that which can never be taken away.

Be encouraged, Jose

Success recipe

But He answered and said, “It is written, Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.”
Matthew 4:4 (NKJV)

With this singular response from our Lord and Savior, it has been revealed that the only way to succeed in life and be victorious over our common adversary is not only to live on bread (FOOD) alone but also on the LIVING WORD of God. Joshua's successful reign and leadership on the nation of Israel was predicated upon it.

This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success.
Joshua 1:8 (NKJV)

It is the Spirit Food that strengthens, sustains and never fails. Let it be part of your daily diet. It is the secret to healthy, peaceful and glorious living.

Be Encouraged,

Afolabi